Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

Download & Play

Questions

Newspaper Page Text

fSgpPpWfSPSH
newspaper so they will read the ad
vertisements. And they want them to read the
advertisements so ihey will go to the
stores and buy what is advertised;
they want to buy so the merchant
W will get the money to pay for his
ads.
.It is estimated that nearly 90 per
cent of the cost of publishing a news
paper is expense that wouldn't be
necessary if it were not for the ad
vertising. 'And when 90 per cent of
the cost Is due to advertising, that
consideration is bound to have a
- powerful influence on the publisher.
The reader who pays one cent for
a newspaper that costs the publisher
i" two or more cents must foot the bill
in some other way. All of the profit
of publishers and advertisers must
come out of the pockets of newspa
per readers. It can'tcome from any
other source, unless it be in the form
of a subsidy; and, even f it comes in
that form, the people must ultimately
pay.
. Just as the public servant feels that
he owes his job to the boss who nomi
nated him rather than to the people
who elected him, so does the ordi
nary newspaper publisher feel that he
owes his profit to his advertisers
rather than to his readers despite
the fact that if it were not for his
readers he couldn't get advertising.
The unwieldy size of newspapers is
." due to advertising. A page ad in a
paper the size of The Day Book
wouldn't bring in nearly so much
money as one the size of the Daily
News.
Yet everybody knows that the ordi
nary newspaper is a nuisance, when
you attempt to read it in a car.
The Day Book gets as much of the
live news as any afternoon newspa
per in Chicago. We get the full wire
and cable report of the United Press,
which serves more afternoon news
papers than the Associated Press
does. But we boil'the news down.
The more advertising a newspaper
carries, the -less it boils down its news
and the more reading matter it pub
lishes to fill in the space around the
ads. T
If occulists were to tell the truth t
believe they would say that reading
the fine print in ordinary newspapers
does more to ruin thousands of eyes'
in Chicago than all other causes com
bined. People read this fine print on
cars that jar the body and continually
change the focus of the eye. Many'
people can read The Day Book with-j
out eyeglasses who are compelled to
put them on when they read a'ny-p.
other Chicago daily. Did YOU ever'
notice that? '
And did YOU ever notice that ad-,
vertisers use large type that is easy?
on the eyes, while the news is pub
lished in type that is entirely toof
small?
Hearst prints his editorials in large
type, and the advertisements in largef
type but much of the so-called news.'
is printed in small type that is veryo
trying on the eyes.
In discussing newspapers and the.
newspaper business, I am trying to
give the people some information on
a subject that is of vital importance,
to them. I believe that when the '
people understand newspapers it wilt,
be better for the people and better,,
for newspapers. ,
Up to date about the only business
that has been protected from .pub-'
licity is the publicity business the11
newspaper business. It may do some
good to turn the searchlight of pub-j
licity on that business.
o o T
GASES KNOCK FIFTY OUT IN BIG"'
NEW YORK FIRE n
New York, May 19. Fifty, firemeiL
dropped unconscious and one was se-.
verely injured in a fire in a block on'
Greenwic hstreet. Chemicals stored"
in the five upper stories of the build-J
ing, occupied by the Atlantic Car Co., :
generated fumes of muriatic and hy-:p
drochloric acid. A dozen physicians1;
resuscitated tie unconscious firemen"
as fast as they were borne out of the
building,
AiS&i.
&yg
iMMliii